"You might see that the traffic light is red and think, 'Oh, I have to stop again. I'm late. Is fate against me?' Or, you might think, 'This damn stoplight is thwarting my progress; why are all these cars in my way?' Many people seem to think, 'The light is yellow; this is my chance to speed up and get ahead of everyone.' Or maybe, 'Yippee, the light's green! I must be living right.' All kinds of 'I'-centered judgments sneak into this experience, judgments that have nothing to do with the simple reality of stop, slow down, or go."

To Practice: Observe how you react to traffic lights. The next time you find yourself projecting, let it go. Enjoy the simple reality of stop on red, slow down on yellow, or go on green.

Jerry M. Ruhl, Robert A. Johnson in Contentment: A Way to True Happiness